THE CAVERSHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Evening Star, Issue 10931, 13 May 1899, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE CAVERSHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY.

i The annual meeting of the members of the Caversham Public Library was held on Tuesday last, the 9th inst., Mr J. Tennant being in the chair. There was only a very small attendance. _ The report and balance-sheet of the retiring Committee were read and unanimously adopted. The Rev. D. Dutton. Messrs R. Rutherford, J. Tennant, C. Frye, R. B. Hill, A. Kennard, G. Nutting, jun.’ R. W. Rutherford (hon. treasurer), and C. Ford (hon. secretary) were elected the Committee for the ensuing year. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr C. Frye and (he secretary for having carried on the work of the library for the past year. We make the following extracts from the report :

The present roll is 79 against 91 at the same date last year, thus making a net falling-off of 12. A vote was placed on the Estimates during last session of Parliament for subsidising public libraries. As a result, a subsidy of £8 3s 5d lias been obtained, being at the rate of 3s 3d in the £ on the amount of subscriptions actually received during 1898, with £25 added. The number of books now on the shelves is 2,093; and the cost of the books added during the year was £2B 18s 4d, or a trifle over 3s 3Acl per volume. The library has been open on fifty Friday nights durum the year. °

( The Conimitf.ee regret to have to record the death of Mr George Nutting, who has been a member of the Committee from the time of the reopening of the library in 1890. Mr Nutting during that time was one of the most constant members in bis attendance at the meetings, and always took a great interest in the library and its progress. The treasurer’s statement shows an income from subscriptions of £2l 7s 6d, against £25 15s for last year, or a decrease of £4 7s 6d; from sales of catalogues 11s 6d, against 16s, or a decrease of 4s 6d; and of Government subsidy, as already mentioned, of £8 3s sd. The items of expenditure beyond that for books already mentioned do not call for special remark, as they only amounted to £2 5s lOd. Economy m the management will at once G shown by the small amount for miscell MooiiS expenses. The Committee cannot close this report w’ihout expressing the opinion that it is cause for great regret that more support and patronage are not accorded by the inhabitants generally of the district to the library. With a library so well stocked with standard and modem literature the use of which can be secured fir a subscription of 5s per annum, or at the rate of I l-scl per week, it is, to say the least, somewhat surprising that more support is not given, and that the excellent opportunities supplied for home reading are not made greater ufg of than has been the case hitherto. There is surely reading capacity—-whether for serious reading or for mere recreation—in the district to warrant at least three or four times the number of subscribers being on the roll. The Committee earnestly hope that there will be a considerable improvement in this respect during the ensuing year. If the existing subscribers will help the Committee in getting an increased roll it will naturally follow that in proportion to the increase of -membership so will be the rapidity of the addition of new books to those now on the shelves. Is should not be forgotten that the whole of the income (less only a pound or two annually for lighting mid necessary sundry expenses) goes to the purchase of new books and the repair of those now in the library, as all the labor of carrying on the library is voluntary. This entails considerable self-denial on the part of those carrying on the work, and the greatest reward to them would be to see the rapid and lasting extension of the roll and of the usefulness and pleasure supplied by the library.